Furnace-door-operating device.



G. H. GREGORY. FURNACE DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913.

Patented Mar. 24,

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E STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. GREGORY, OF MOUNT CARMEL, ILLINOIS.

FURNACE-DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. GREGORY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Carmel, in the county of Wabash and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace- Door-Operating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in furnace door operating devices, the primary object being to provide a generally improved furnace door and means for operating the same which may be readily applied in front of the feed door openings of furnaces, the present embodiment being particularly designed and adapted for use in connection with railroad locomotives, and providing means whereby the fire door may be readily opened by the foot of the fireman through the medium of a foot lever, and after being opened will be automatically closed when the pressure on the foot lever is removed.

WVith the above mentioned and other ends in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in one of its embodiments in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1, is a perspective view of the improved furnace door, together with the attaching frame and door operating mechanism carried by the latter. Fig. 2, a fragmentary view of a modified form of door operating bell cranks or levers.

Similar numerals of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

The improved furnace door and door operating mechanism comprises a frame 1, adapted to be removably and adjustably secured to the front of the furnace through the medium of cap screws or bolts 2, passing through slots 1, in the upper and lower members of the door frame and into suit able threaded openings of the furnace wall above and below the feed door opening thereof.

o The sides of the frame 1, are provided with vertically extending guide members 3, forming guide-ways or grooves 3*, adapted to receive and contain the ends of a pair of vertically movable door members 4. The guide members 3, are preferably secured to the sides of the frame 1, by means of bolts Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. May 22, 1913.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914.

Serial No. 769,145.

3 and one of the guide members 3, is preferably provided with a side extension or bearing plate 3, to form a support or hearing for the door operating bell cranks or lever members, hereinafter described.

The vertically movable slidably mounted door members 4, are provided at their central front or face sides with bearing members or projections 4 in the present instance, in the form of headed bearing pins removably mounted in the door members.

As a means for simultaneously operating or actuating the door members 4, from and toward each other or in their opening and closing movements, a pair of bell cranks or door operating crank arms 5, are pivotally mounted upon the side extension or bearing plate 3, through the medium of bearing bolts 6, said bell cranks having their shorter arms 5, extending toward and operatively connected to each other, the main or longer arm or lever members 5, being provided at their outer ends with guide slots 5 receiving and taking over the bearing members or pins 4*.

As a means for further supporting the bearing bolts 6, and maintaining the short arms 5*, of the bell cranks 5, in proper rela tive position, a guide or keeper plate 7, is removably secured through the medium of the bearing bolts 6.

From the above description it will be understood that the connection between the shorter arms 5*, should be such that when one of the arms 5, is moved in one direction, the opposite or opposing arm 5, will be moved in the other, so that the door members 4, connected thereto will be simultaneously actuated toward and from each other, and as a means for automatically returning the doors and the attached parts of the foot operating mechanism, hereinafter described, to their closed position, the upper door member 4, is preferably made of such weight over and above the weight of the lower door member and the operative. weight of the foot lever mechanism as to overcome such weight and return the parts to their closed posi tion, as shown in Fig. 1, of the drawings.

As a means for actuating the lower bell crank, a foot lever 8, is pivotally secured atbearing clips or brackets 10, through the medium of adjusting nuts 9*, whereby the throw of the foot lever 8, may be regulated.

In the modified form of bell crank shown in Fig. 2, the short arms 5, are connected to each other through a bearing head 5, on one arm and a bifurcated head 5 on the other. In this modified form of bell cranks the lower crank is provided with an extension 5 adapted to carry a weight 11, adjustably mounted on the extended portion 5 in lieu of increasing the weight of the upper door member 4:, as above described in connection with the form of bell cranks shown in Fig. 1. i

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood.

Having thus described one of the embodiments of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In a furnace-door operating device, the combination with a frame provided with vertical guide-ways, door members slidably mounted therein, the upper door being weighted to overbalance the weight of the lower door and the operating attachments and bell-cranks pivotally mounted at one side of said frame, one pair of arms being operatively connected in one direction by the weight of said upper door only and the other pair of arms being provided at the ends with slot openings; of guide bearing pins extending through said slot openings and carried by the front central portions of said door members, a guide plate mounted in front of said first mentioned pair of arms,

and a foot lever pivotally carried at one side of said frame and operatively connected to one of said bell-cranks.

2. A furnace-door operatmg device, comprising a door frame having vertical guide members one of said guide members being provided with a bearing plate, vertically movable door members slidably mounted therein and provided at their central front portions with bearing pins, bell-cranks havmg their shorter arms operatively connected to each other by the weight of the upper door only and having their longer arms provided with slots taking over said bearing pins, a keeper plate mounted in front of said shorter arms of said bell-cranks, bearing bolts extending through said keeper and bearing plates and said bell-cranks, a foot lever pivotally mounted at one side of said door frame and beneath said bell-cranks, and a connecting link adjustably connected to said foot lever and the lower of said bell-cranks.

3. A furnace door operating device, com prising a door frame, vertical door guide members, one of said members being provided with a vertically extending bearing plate, door members mounted in said guide members the upper door member being weighted to overbalance the weight of the lower door member and operative weight of the door operating attachments, bell-cranks having one pair of arms disposed in front of said vertically extending bearing plate and held in contact with each other by said weighted upper door only and the other pair of arms extending in front of and pivotally connected to the central portions of said door members, a keeper plate mounted in front of, said first mentioned arms of said bell-cranks, bearing bolts extending through the latter and said keeper and bearing plates, an operating foot lever, and a con necting link between the latter and one of said bell-cranks.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. GREGORY.

Witnesses R. S. HosmNsoN, F. B. CADE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

